Secret Service Costs for the Trump Sons' UAE Business Trip

2017-02-18

Secret Service Costs for the Trump Sons' UAE Business Trip

unresolved

Promised: 2017-01-11At Trump's January 2017 press conference, counsel for the Trump Organization said the arrangement would isolate him from the business, bar new foreign deals and donate foreign-government hotel profits to the Treasury.Open cited record · 2 sources
The record: 2017-02-18Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump traveled to the United Arab Emirates for the opening of a Trump-branded golf club with Secret Service protection.Open cited record · 2 sources2019-01-17GAO included the trip in its accounting of federal protection costs for three early-2017 international trips by Trump's adult children.Open cited record · 1 source
Who gained: Trump Organization UAE licensing business
Who paid: United States taxpayers
United States taxpayers
Audit finding: unresolved
Public protection spending supported a private Trump Organization business trip, but the record does not show that the Trump business received the government's protection expenditure as revenue.
Causal strength: documented mechanism

Evidence chronology

promise2017-01-11documented
At Trump's January 2017 press conference, counsel for the Trump Organization said the arrangement would isolate him from the business, bar new foreign deals and donate foreign-government hotel profits to the Treasury.
- Time: Read a Transcript of Donald Trump's Press Conference on Conflicts of Interest2017-01-11 · Sheri Dillon remarks: no new foreign deals, limited information rights, compliance counsel, and donation of foreign-government hotel profits
- U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Oversight Committee Requests Documents on Trump Organization's Treatment of Foreign Government Payments2017-04-21 · Bipartisan committee letter describing the January pledge and requesting implementation records
Open underlying ledger entry
action2017-02-18documented
Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump traveled to the United Arab Emirates for the opening of a Trump-branded golf club with Secret Service protection.
- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: CREW gets Trump family business Secret Service spending documents2018-08-03 · Business-purpose travel examples and FOIA spending records
- U.S. Government Accountability Office: Presidential Travel: Secret Service and DOD Need to Ensure That Expenditure Reports Are Prepared and Submitted to Congress2019-02-05 · Pages 20-23; Uruguay, Dominican Republic and UAE protection costs; reporting limits
Open underlying ledger entry
outcome2019-01-17documented
GAO included the trip in its accounting of federal protection costs for three early-2017 international trips by Trump's adult children.
- U.S. Government Accountability Office: Presidential Travel: Secret Service and DOD Need to Ensure That Expenditure Reports Are Prepared and Submitted to Congress2019-02-05 · Pages 20-23; Uruguay, Dominican Republic and UAE protection costs; reporting limits
Open underlying ledger entry
limitation2019-01-17documented
The protection was legally required; its cost is a public expense associated with, not a payment to, the private project.
- U.S. Government Accountability Office: Presidential Travel: Secret Service and DOD Need to Ensure That Expenditure Reports Are Prepared and Submitted to Congress2019-02-05 · Pages 20-23; Uruguay, Dominican Republic and UAE protection costs; reporting limits
Open underlying ledger entry

Responses, legal status, contrary evidence, and limitations

limitation
The protection was legally required; its cost is a public expense associated with, not a payment to, the private project.